Lorn V
Lorn V was the fifth planet in the Lorn System and the setting for the PC Game Dawn of War - Winter Assault where the forces of the Imperial Guard and the Eldar confronted a loose alliance of Chaos Space Marines and Orks while the Necrons rose to present a threat to all of the other factions. History The Ice World of Lorn V had been governed by the Imperium of Man for millennia until the sudden arrival of a warband of World Eaters and a WAAAGH! of Orks on its frigid surface. For many years a vicious struggle raged on the snowy fields of Lorn V between these Orks and the warband of the World Eaters called the Blood Legion of Khorne that was commanded by the Chaos Champion Lord Crull. It was a one-sided fight for much of that time, as the Orks were often too divided amongst themselves as was the wont of that species to pose any threat to the World Eaters. But after the arrival of the fierce Ork Warlord Gorgutz and his reinforcing WAAAGH!, the Orks of Lorn V suddenly became a real menace for the World Eaters and managed to successfully assault one of their primary bases on that world. As a result of Gorgutz's arrival the conflict between the two sides became even more savage. General Sturnn of the Imperial Guard, having learned that the salvageable remains of an ''Imperator''-class Titan called the Dominatus that had been knocked out of action during the Horus Heresy were still on Lorn V, launched an Imperial invasion of the icy world with his 412th Cadian Shock Troopers Regiment to reclaim both the planet and the ancient Titan for the Imperium. The Eldar of Craftworld Ulthwé (some records record it as Craftworld Biel-Tan) under the command of Farseer Taldeer also secretly invaded the planet, which had long been a secret Necron Tomb World. The undying Necrons had slumbered away the millennia in their stasis tombs while the younger races had fought for control of the freezing world far above them. The Eldar of Biel-tan had foreseen that the conflict between the Orks and the human Traitors would stir the Necrons from their uneasy sleep and they were determined to stop the awakening of another Tomb World of their ancient foes at any cost. When the 412th Cadian Shock Troopers Regiment of the Imperial Guard arrived, Lord Crull and Gorgutz struck a brief and uneasy alliance that they named the Forces of Disorder against their common Imperial and Eldar foes and worked together to obtain the power of the ancient Titan. General Sturnn of the 412th Cadian Shock Troops Regiment had made a special appeal to the Lord Castellan of Cadia to include several groups of Kasrkin in his command. After much consideration, this rare request was granted, based strongly upon Sturnn's battle honours and superlative record as an Imperial Guard officer. A born leader and formidable fighter, Sturnn believed that the true duty of the Imperial Guard was to die standing and fighting against the Imperium's foes. The General was admired by his fellow officers for his incredible bravery -- Sturnn often went into battle directly alongside his troops, an uncommon trait in many men of his exalted rank. It was the General's preference to assign squads of Kasrkin as his bodyguard. This was a role the Kasrkin deemed fitting, for Sturnn was so often to be found at the heart of the most furious battle. Sturnn's orders were to proceed to the Ice World of Lorn V and recover a fallen ''Imperator''-class Battle Titan bearing the name Dominatus. Once a world governed by the Imperium of Man, Lorn V had been invaded and laid waste by two inimical forces. The first of these was a Chaos Space Marine warband, commanded by Lord Crull, a savage Chaos Champion. The second group of invaders consisted of an Ork WAAAGH! led by a massive Warboss named Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter. Together, these two forces dominated much of the planet, each battling against the other in a savage conflict. However, when the 412th Cadian Shock Troopers Regiment arrived on Lorn V, Lord Crull and Gorgutz ended the fighting between their forces and forged a rough and uneasy alliance against their common foes. Soon after his arrival at the former capital city of Talorn, General Sturnn learned that another challenger for control of the planet had appeared -- the Eldar, guided by the devious Farseer Taldeer. Faced with constant attacks from the Orks and Chaos Space Marines, Sturnn and Taldeer reluctantly chose to work together in order to survive. With the timely support of Taldeer's Eldar Aspect Warriors, Sturnn drove the Orks and Chaos Space Marines back in a series of blitzing advances. Imperial records are not entirely clear about the details of Sturnn's campaign on Lorn V, but all agree that without the Kasrkin, no victory would have been possible. Time and again, the Kasrkin were sent forward into the vanguard of the Imperial Guard assault, and time and again, the foe was sent reeling back—but at a mounting cost. Casualties amongst the Kasrkin were staggering, especially in the decisive conflict to secure the Titan. The Kasrkin's superior firepower and training counted for naught against a tide of inhuman horrors springing forth from beneath the planet’s frozen surface. This final assault pitted merciless aliens against Kasrkin discipline -- and the discipline held the line. The few survivors of Lorn V tell a grim tale. According to these after-action reports, General Sturnn and his men were betrayed by the Eldar in the end and cut down in a hail of shuriken fire. The Farseer's deceit cost the Imperial Guard forces dearly -- the 412th Cadian Shock Troopers Regiment was driven from the planet and the Titan declared lost. To this day, the banner of the 412th bears a black ribbon to mark this defeat. Imperial records are not entirely clear about the course of events during the campaign but it is known that Farseer Taldeer and her Eldar was able to stop the Necrons from rising by destroying their Necron Lord, but lost one of her own Farseers to the Orks and many of her warriors to the allied Forces of Disorder. General Sturnn was killed by Gorgutz and his head was put on his "pointy stikk" along with that of the World Eaters' champion, Lord Crull, after the Orks broke their short alliance with the Traitor Marines, who were also driven from the planet and scattered after the loss of their leader. It is unknown what happened to the Titan Dominatus or the 412th Cadian Shock Troopers Regiment. Following these events, it seems that the Imperial Ultima Segmentum Command despatched Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander to the Civilised World of Kronus to track down and capture Farseer Taldeer after her actions on Lorn V. This began the campaign remembered in Imperial records as the Dark Crusade. Sources *''Only War: Hammer of the Emperor'' (RPG), pp. 20-21 *''Dawn of War - Winter Assault'' (PC Game) es:Lorn V Category:L Category:Chaos Space Marines Category:Eldar Category:Imperial Guard Category:Necron Category:Ork Category:Planets Category:Space Marines Category:Warhammer 40,000 video games Category:Tomb Worlds